Game of Thrones showrunners share their favorite series death: 'I can now die happy'

Whether it's Game of Thrones or 3 Body Problem, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are not shy about killing off characters in their shows. 

Appearing on a new episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the 3 Body Problem showrunners were asked to name their favorite character death and it turns out they have a lot in common with Game of Thrones fans.

"With Thrones, there was so much killing of good guys," Weiss said, "and we finally got to really kill both Joffrey in season 4 and Ramsay Bolton in season 6. It was fun to go back to the old-fashioned joys of just killing off a really bad guy."

Bolton, played by Iwan Rheon, was one of the show's truly sadistic villains, a character whose death few lamented in the final moments of the show's famous "Battle of the Bastards" episode. "It felt like it was balancing the scales a little," Weiss said. 

Benioff shared the sentiment about Bolton's death. "You don't really see the death. You see some of it in the background, but you don't really see the death," he said. "What you do see is Sophie [Turner]'s smile. It was all in one shot, and we did it seven times or something... She nailed it on the seventh or eighth time, and it was just that feeling of — that's so epic. Sophie was so good. When she got that shot, I felt like I can now die happy."

Rheon told Entertainment Weekly in 2016 that he didn't know Bolton's death was coming when they started production. "I had received half the scripts, five episodes, then I got the call [from Weiss and Benioff]," he said. "They joked, 'Isn't it great Ramsay ends up on the Iron Throne?' As soon as they said that, I said, 'He's dead, isn't he?'"

Even though it meant the end of his character, Rheon had a similar reaction as the showrunners and fans, even if Bolton had outwitted Jon Snow (Kit Harington) on the battlefield in many ways. "I do think it's just and it's right," he said. "I'm glad it happens as a fan of the show."

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• 3 Body Problem review: Netflix's adaptation is a mismatch of compelling sci-fi ideas and boring characters
• All the Game of Thrones stars reuniting for 3 Body Problem
• Meet the Oxford 5: 3 Body Problem stars talk Game of Thrones fans, aliens, and more